Karen Commins

Golden Nugget From Pat Fraley’s Pick Up Your Oscar Webinar

28 July 2013

Pat Fraley recently taught a webinar called Pick Up Your Oscar: The Craft of Voice Over Acting. I sign up for just about everything Pat offers because I know I will learn great info that propels my career forward.

This webinar about acting was no exception. In fact, it was more useful to me than much of the voice-over training I have had! In publicizing the event, Pat wrote: “It’s not an MFA for 50 bucks, but it’s the only acting system created to meet the rapid rigors of the voice over world.” He further promised to teach how to:

“Play Actions” not present emotions
“Play the Subtext”
“Raise The Stakes”
Create “Motivated Contrast”

The big golden nugget for me was the fact that you can’t act an emotion. You have to think in terms of the ACTION VERB in order to bring the emotion to the text. You can “up the stakes” by finding a verb that has a different connotation or intensity.

After the webinar concluded, I found this fantastic book ACTIONS: The Actors’ Thesaurus at Amazon, and it already has been extremely useful in creating more evocative auditions.

The introduction offers this explanation:

If the actor plays a specific and real action on each sentence, then, even though the audience are unlikely to be able to identify the technique or the individual action, the work will be interesting and absolutely watchable because of its precision. Actioning enforces a specificity which can liberate the actor’s performance and ensure a cohesive integrated character with each moment leading naturally onto the next.

The book also provides an example of finding and using actions in analyzing a commercial script.

During the webinar, Pat coached several people through the process, and I could really hear the difference in their reads. You can order a copy of Pat’s webinar, along with a variety of other programs, at this link.

TDIMH — Perseverance Pays Off

21 July 2013

This Date in My History — Sunday July 21, 2002 1:00pm

(A private journal entry from at least 10 years ago with lessons that apply today)

I occasionally have fleeting thoughts of quitting [voice-over]. However, I quickly remind myself of 2 stories that keep me going.

The first story is about a man who had been digging for gold for however many years. He finally gave up in frustration and sold his claim to the land to someone else.

The next day, the new owner found a gold mine worthy of a king’s fortune 3 feet away from where his predecesor stopped digging. The moral is to never give up because you don’t know how close you are to the gold.

The other story is definitely a true story, while the first one may be just a lesson.

Mel Fisher was convinced that he would find the shipwreck of the Atocha, which was laden with gold, silver, emeralds and other precious items when it sank.

Every day, for 17 years, he looked for it. Every day during those 17 years, he started the day by saying “This could be the day!” Every day, when he didn’t find it, he would tell the crew around the supper table “Tomorrow could be the day!”

His enthusiasm and positive outlook were infectious. Even when he endured personal tragedy like the death of his son during or as a result of a dive, he persevered.

He did find a shipwreck, and I believe it was the find of greatest value ever recorded — something like $400 million bucks!

He has a museum in Key West where many breathtaking relics are on display. I think it’s safe to say that he and his family live on Easy Street.

I do feel more hopeful when I remind myself of these stories of perseverance against the odds. I am so anxious to get where I’m going that I find it difficult to enjoy and learn from the journey. I still feel like my marketing is scattered, and maybe I’m not targeting the right people. [My brother] talked about having an intermediate goal and steps plotted along the way.

As for my next intermediate goal, how can I set them without being in complete control of the outcome? In other words, it’s hard to have goals when I have to depend on fickle, forgetful people to make a conscious choice to hire me.

Maybe the better question is how do I distinguish myself from the 1000s of voice talent who are streaming out of every nook and cranny to set up shop on the web?

To say people are fickle and forgetful is probably not accurate since they actually tend to be loyal to those they’ve used before by throwing more work their way. How do I break in and convince them that they should pick me as a relative newcomer?

What is my competitive advantage? I think it’s my ability to sightread long passages and speak with proper inflection. I want to target narrations and audiobooks….Perhaps my next intermediate goal would be to re-do my audiobook demos.

Today’s Take-Aways:

1) While you need to have the big picture in mind, your progress will be incremental and sometimes may even seem non-existent. Think of the stories in this post and remind yourself that perseverance pays off!

2) Do something every day toward your goals, no matter how small.

3) Spend some time in quiet reflection to assess your skills, interests, and passions and how they might help move you forward toward your dream life.

4) Give up your need for control. Actually, very little in our lives is totally under our control. If you keep the end result in mind while you continue taking steps, the Universe will open pathways and create possibilities that you never even considered.

TDIMH — Going Fast in the Wrong Direction

3 June 2013

This Date in My History — Mon., 6/3/02 10:46PM on my sofa and melting

If it’s true that the harder I work, the luckier I am — which is a quote from either Edison or Jefferson, but definitely on one of my mail-outs — then I should be rolling in v-o gigs.

I sent half a dozen emails yesterday to companies I found at ozonline.tv, which has a directory of all sorts of creative companies in GA. The depressing and overwhelming thing is that the list has tons of companies I haven’t heard of and therefore aren’t in my database. So who are these 350 people in my database? Am I sending all my expensive mail-outs to the wrong people?

I know that I created my database the wrong way. I gathered names from the GA Business Directory and the Atlanta Business Chronicle Book of Lists and created a database without, as they say in marketing circles, qualifying my prospects. I could have good companies with the wrong contact name, companies who would never hire voice talent, and good potential clients all mixed together.

I haven’t had a lot of time to make phone calls while at work, and response to my emails has been limited in the past. I was pleased to get a response tonight to one of my queries yesterday, and the person said they use voice talent and to send my stuff. I wish I could prepare a media kit in less time, but I practically have to print everything new.

It bugs me sometimes (like tonight) to be working hard in my room and hear Drew downstairs laughing at the TV. I’m jealous that he has time to relax and even more jealous that he has steady business from the newspaper for photography without ever having to work for it. He said one day he’d like to do something with photography, and I suggested that he approach the local newspaper with the idea to be a stringer. He did, and they’ve been calling him ever since.

I, on the other hand, have spent countless hours and 1000s and 1000s of hours [sic — I must have meant “dollars”] trying to market myself and get my big break, and for what? This year, I’ve made $925, which is more than the preceding years put together.

I vowed to celebrate every step I take toward my goals, but, right now, I feel overwhelmed, tired, grumpy, and somewhat depressed because I feel like I am spinning my wheels.

Of course, some of my negative feelings could be caused by being hot. The temp today was in the 90s, and the A/C hasn’t been able to keep up.

Today’s Take-aways:

1) You need to create and maintain a great contact database for your marketing efforts. In addition to contact info, I record notes about conversations, especially the personal data I learn about my contact, and actions taken like demo submissions Before entering any information in your database, you will want to be sure that the person or company actually needs your services and that this person is the one who would make the decision to choose you. Otherwise, you could spend valuable time and money marketing to people who would never hire you.

2) Balance between business activities and the rest of your life is critical! Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your business won’t be, either. Obviously, balance is a bit more difficult to achieve if you are starting your business in the evenings and weekends after full-time job and even more complicated by your family’s schedule. Time management is your friend! Schedule time for both your business and family activities so that you can move forward on your goals without feeling like you are forsaking your family to do it.

3) Jealousy is a self-defeating emotion that keeps you from reaching your destiny. We need to learn to be happy with who we are and where we are in order to get where we want to go.

4) When you feel grumpy and start complaining about everything that’s wrong, try instead to make a gratitude list of all that’s RIGHT in your life. Not only will you instantly feel better, but your gratitude is the key to receiving more for which you can be grateful!

Photo: iStockPhoto/PhilHillPhotography

May 2013 Audiobook Releases

3 June 2013

Between moving my blog platform from Movable Type to WordPress, a wonderful beach vacation with Drew and Yogi, and my on-going audiobook narration projects, May quickly evaporated and has now turned into June.

While this WordPress blog now has a nifty new Yearly Archives index, many things about the blog still don’t work, especially links within articles. Thanks for your patience as I continue to fix the previous article links. I also hadn’t posted new articles during the conversion, which, of course, took far longer than I expected! I will post a new article after this update on my recent audiobooks.

Divas and Dead Rebels by Virginia Brown

Book 4 in the best-selling Dixie Divas Cozy Mystery series

Trinket and her pals are, once again, caught in the middle of a murder scene. What Trinket thought was an untidy pile of clothing tumbling out of Bitty’s sons’ dorm room closet turned out to be a professor with whom Bitty had just quarreled that very morning. At 13 hours, this book is the perfect, light-hearted, fun companion to take to the pool or beach!

I love narrating this series! The Divas are like old friends, and the banter between Bitty and Trinket makes me laugh out loud! They remind me of Blanche Devereaux and Dorothy Sbornak on the TV show The Golden Girls.

You might think this type of book wouldn’t require preparatory research, but it does. In addition to looking up pronunciations for places mentioned in the book, I had to learn the Ole Miss Hotty Toddy cheer. I didn’t go to a college with a football team, but as an audiobook narrator, I was able to pretend I was a fervent football fan and cheering with the best of them!

Available at Amazon Amazon iTunes

Indispensable Party by Melissa F. Miller

Book 4 in the Sasha McCandless Legal Thriller series

In the name of science, an international team of researchers creates a deadly virus capable of killing untold millions. While the U.S. government quietly stockpiles a vaccine, a militaristic group of doomsday preppers begins to mobilize in response to the economic collapse they’re convinced is coming.

Then the Doomsday virus is stolen, and a researcher is murdered. Attorney Sasha McCandless and her boyfriend Leo Connelly, who is now chief of security at the pharmaceutical firm making the vaccine, are in the middle of the action and racing against time to find the missing virus before it is unleashed on the world.

This audiobook can give you nightmares! As usual, Miller wrote a fast-paced book that reads like a movie script, with scenes primarily in Washington, DC and Pennsylvania.

While I was on vacation, I read the text version of Dan Brown’s latest thriller Inferno. Even if I didn’t narrate Melissa Miller’s books, I must tell you that her plot and action seem much more realistic and likely to happen than did Brown’s. I look forward to the day when her name and work is as well-known as his! 🙂

Available at Audible Amazon iTunes

March 2013 Audiobook Releases

23 April 2013

Before April turns into May, I wanted to update you about my 2 audiobooks that were released in March.

Lizzie and the Guernsey Gang by April W. Gardner

Lizzie Browning loves nothing more than her tiny, island-home of Guernsey, but when German bombs drop on her crystal beach, her peaceful world explodes. For months, the big war in Europe has been nothing more than stories in the paper, but as the enemy takes over Guernsey, the war rushes to her doorstep. For Lizzie, younger brother Andre, and cousin James, the time to escape is now, and they know just how to do it.

This wonderful YA book was a challenge to narrate as almost all of the characters are British children. Before I started my pre-read and research phase, I confess that I didn’t even know where Guernsey was. I also felt a bit of trepidation in voicing the book because I haven’t been a young girl in a long time, and I’ve never been British. It might seem strange that I was the one chosen to narrate the book.

As an aside, several months before I was contracted for Lizzie, a well-known producer told me that I have an earnestness to my sound that would work well with YA and faith-based titles. Lizzie is both of those things.

The true Guernsey accent is difficult to achieve, especially with limited preparation time. However, the producer and I felt that some sort of passable British accent was needed to truly convey the author’s intent. It wouldn’t sound right to have an American accent speaking to her “mum” or using some of the other British-isms in the book. Since the book was written in first person, the narration had to be British as well.

Perhaps it was my earnestness rather than an authentic accent which made Lizzie’s producer choose me for this project. Perhaps it was because the author also lives in Georgia as I do. Whatever the reason that I was chosen, I wanted to the best possible job on it, as I do with all my audiobooks.

As part of my preparation, I listened to the delightful audiobook The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. Five fabulous narrators told the fictional story, which was a series of letters between a London writer and Guernsey residents in post-War 1946. This story helped me get the lyricism and rhythm of the British speech patterns implanted in my mind. Through the incidents portrayed in this book and my additional research, I better understood the fear and uncertainty of the characters in my book.

Recording the book was a very difficult experience that required many stops and starts, but I’m proud of the outcome. The book may have some inconsistencies, and maybe even the casual listener would discern that I’m not British. Still, I told a good story.

I am honored to bring this story to audio.

Irretrievably Broken by Melissa F. Miller

Book 3 in the Sasha McCandless Legal Thriller series

One of the partners at the venerable Pittsburg law firm of Prescott & Talbott has been murdered, and her estranged husband is accused of the crime. A few days later, a second female partner is murdered; her husband is also accused.

Although former Prescott lawyer Sasha McCandless doesn’t have experience in criminal defense, she agrees to defend both men as a favor to the firm. The cases take her away from her boyfriend Leo Connelly. Even worse, she doesn’t know that the killer is on a vendetta about a past case that went wrong, and one more lawyer is on his list.

I love narrating this well-written series! Sasha McCandless is a physically and mentally strong person, and we see the character grow as the series progresses.

In addition, the legal wrangling is always extremely interesting. I research the legal rules and citations so that Sasha can say them correctly and talk intelligently about them. In this book, a dramatic development toward the end had me asking the author about the legalities of the resolution. While I won’t reveal the scene or tell you what she said, let me just say that Melissa Miller certainly is adept at making the reader feel something in her page-turning mysteries!

Sasha fans will be delighted to know that I have finished narrating book #4, Indispensable Party, and expect it to be released in May.

Available at Amazon, Audible, and iTunes

TDIMH — Make time to take action on your dreams

14 March 2013

This Date in My History — Thursday, March 14, 2002 10:25pm

On Tuesday, I decided to request AWS (alternate work schedule) at work and be off the 2nd Wed. of the pay period. I will use those days off to visit recording studios, ad agencies, etc. to drop off my demo and a promo item. If I don’t do in-person visits, I can always use the time to make phone calls, work on my web site, etc.

My boss approved it yesterday, so I’ll start this new schedule the week after next. I know it will be hard to get accustomed to working the extra hour, but I think the pay-off will be worth it.

Today’s Take-aways:

1) Even if you have a full-time job, you still can structure your time so that you can take action on your dreams. Ask whether your employer will allow you to change your schedule so that you can get a day off every week or two. Some schedules you could consider:

Over the course of 2 weeks, work 9 hours a day for 8 days, 8 hours a day for 1 day, and have a day off.

I worked this schedule for the last 9 years of my career in the federal government. I referred to my Wednesdays off as “wonderful Wednesdays”. I always said that being off on Wednesday was like being on vacation in a foreign country since most people are at work that day. Even though I am now a full-time voiceover talent and audiobook narrator, I still schedule my Wednesdays off whenever possible.

Over the course of 2 weeks, work 8 10-hour days and have 2 days off.
Work a split shift of time in the mornings and evenings with the middle of the day free.

2) Your experiences will follow your expectation. If you say things like “I know it will be hard to get accustomed to working the extra hour”, it WILL be hard. If you say “It’s just as easy to work 9 hours a day as 8”, it WILL be easy.

3) Set the intention for the usage of your newly-found free time. Follow through with that intention, and watch your dream take flight!

As it turns out, I rarely did in-person visits on my Wednesdays off, but I did LOTS of other marketing activities on those days. I also scheduled voiceover jobs for my wonderful Wednesdays. I told clients that the other weekdays were “booked”, which, of course they were….just not to voiceover clients!

Photo: iStockPhoto/donskarpo